One of the most influential high school experiences was that of my AP United States History class in my junior year. Going into "APUSH," as we called it, I was very nervous. It was my first ever advanced placement class and I did not know what to expect. I had not done too well in my honors global studies class the year before, yet I had been recommended for what I thought to be an even more difficult class.
As a requirement for the class, we had to read the first two chapters of our textbook over the summer. Within the first week, we were tested on that material, and it did not take long before I realized it was going to be a tough year. After receiving the first test back, I felt ashamed of myself for having done so badly. My teacher, Mrs. Kenyon, picked up on this right away and did not hesitate to address it. A few days later, Mrs. Kenyon pulled me aside after class. She reassured me that I was not the only one who had done poorly on the test and that she was there for me if I ever needed help. Following that day I pushed myself harder, asked more questions, and did anything I could to achieve my highest potential.
My grades had their ups and downs, despite my constant hope that I would do well. The more I studied, the better I did, but I did not always have the time to study as much as I should have. I was balancing this AP course with six other classes, a babysitting job, and in the winter, gymnastics. Throughout the school year, I forced myself to make time for the extra work in this class and even more for the extra credit that I could possibly receive. In the end, I was able to pull through the course and get a four on the AP exam. Looking on College Board and seeing my score made all my hard work worth it.
At the beginning of my senior year, I entered an American Government course taught by Mrs. Kenyon. As I was leaving our first class, Mrs. Kenyon once again pulled me aside. This time it was to praise me for my accomplishment. She told me how proud she felt when she saw my score and congratulated me on my hard work paying off. Having Mrs. Kenyon as a teacher changed my perspective on school. She taught me that being a good student does not always mean getting the best grades. More importantly, that teachers can be there for you much more than you may expect.
Another influential high school experience of mine was the creative writing class I took my senior year. Initially, entering this class I was scared because I had heard that the teacher was really tough. After the first days I could confirm that those rumors were true, my teacher, Mr. Wood, was a military man and he was one to stick with the rules. No coffee in class for underclassmen, ten points off for each day an assignment was late, late to class without a pass? detention, the list goes on and on. He graded hard and if he did not like you he graded harder. Thankfully I was on his good side, so I cruised on through the class.
At one point though, I hit a bit of a rough spot. Mr. Wood had expected everyone to come to his room for a few minutes before the end of the school day and I was not in on this event. So as I passed a classmate in the hall, she informed me that all the students who had not gone now had detention. I was so upset and scared, I had never had detention before and it had been an honest mistake. As I walked to his classroom, I thought of what I would say, how upset he would be, how the whole thing would play out. Entering his classroom, I could not hold it back anymore, so in tears I explained the whole mess and he accepted my apology as though it were no big deal, my name erased from his detention list.
About a week later, I was the last one left in his room as the class ended and Mr. Wood approached me. He explained to me that despite what other people had told me he was "not an ogre." This made me think of him differently, all the stories I had been told, rumors of his harsh personality were set aside. Mr. Wood really did care and thinking back now, he does remind me of an ogre, not a big scary monster, but Shrek. He was like an onion, had a mean persona on the outside, but he truly cared about each and every one of us on the inside. I guess it was kind of like one of those "don't judge a book by its cover" scenarios.
If more teachers would engage in the lives of their students and inspire them to do their best, more deep learners would come out of the education system. There are many teachers out there, such as Mrs. Kenyon, who embrace their teaching abilities and go above and beyond the expectations, and also those like Mr. Wood who give off a threatening persona, but really care. Regardless of which type of teachers we encounter, if a teacher is inspired by teaching, that inspiration will spread to their students thus creating deeper learners who hope to achieve great things.
As a requirement for the class, we had to read the first two chapters of our textbook over the summer. Within the first week, we were tested on that material, and it did not take long before I realized it was going to be a tough year. After receiving the first test back, I felt ashamed of myself for having done so badly. My teacher, Mrs. Kenyon, picked up on this right away and did not hesitate to address it. A few days later, Mrs. Kenyon pulled me aside after class. She reassured me that I was not the only one who had done poorly on the test and that she was there for me if I ever needed help. Following that day I pushed myself harder, asked more questions, and did anything I could to achieve my highest potential.
My grades had their ups and downs, despite my constant hope that I would do well. The more I studied, the better I did, but I did not always have the time to study as much as I should have. I was balancing this AP course with six other classes, a babysitting job, and in the winter, gymnastics. Throughout the school year, I forced myself to make time for the extra work in this class and even more for the extra credit that I could possibly receive. In the end, I was able to pull through the course and get a four on the AP exam. Looking on College Board and seeing my score made all my hard work worth it.
At the beginning of my senior year, I entered an American Government course taught by Mrs. Kenyon. As I was leaving our first class, Mrs. Kenyon once again pulled me aside. This time it was to praise me for my accomplishment. She told me how proud she felt when she saw my score and congratulated me on my hard work paying off. Having Mrs. Kenyon as a teacher changed my perspective on school. She taught me that being a good student does not always mean getting the best grades. More importantly, that teachers can be there for you much more than you may expect.
Another influential high school experience of mine was the creative writing class I took my senior year. Initially, entering this class I was scared because I had heard that the teacher was really tough. After the first days I could confirm that those rumors were true, my teacher, Mr. Wood, was a military man and he was one to stick with the rules. No coffee in class for underclassmen, ten points off for each day an assignment was late, late to class without a pass? detention, the list goes on and on. He graded hard and if he did not like you he graded harder. Thankfully I was on his good side, so I cruised on through the class.
At one point though, I hit a bit of a rough spot. Mr. Wood had expected everyone to come to his room for a few minutes before the end of the school day and I was not in on this event. So as I passed a classmate in the hall, she informed me that all the students who had not gone now had detention. I was so upset and scared, I had never had detention before and it had been an honest mistake. As I walked to his classroom, I thought of what I would say, how upset he would be, how the whole thing would play out. Entering his classroom, I could not hold it back anymore, so in tears I explained the whole mess and he accepted my apology as though it were no big deal, my name erased from his detention list.
About a week later, I was the last one left in his room as the class ended and Mr. Wood approached me. He explained to me that despite what other people had told me he was "not an ogre." This made me think of him differently, all the stories I had been told, rumors of his harsh personality were set aside. Mr. Wood really did care and thinking back now, he does remind me of an ogre, not a big scary monster, but Shrek. He was like an onion, had a mean persona on the outside, but he truly cared about each and every one of us on the inside. I guess it was kind of like one of those "don't judge a book by its cover" scenarios.
If more teachers would engage in the lives of their students and inspire them to do their best, more deep learners would come out of the education system. There are many teachers out there, such as Mrs. Kenyon, who embrace their teaching abilities and go above and beyond the expectations, and also those like Mr. Wood who give off a threatening persona, but really care. Regardless of which type of teachers we encounter, if a teacher is inspired by teaching, that inspiration will spread to their students thus creating deeper learners who hope to achieve great things.